TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 29
I turned around.
With a familiar smile, hands in his pockets, and walking briskly, the Man approached.
The Village Chief of Green Algae Village.
It was Ruin.
Looking at him, I thought.
‘Why is Ruin here?’
I was glad to meet an Academy Mate in such an unexpected place, but Ruin shouldn’t be here right now.
About a week from now, the story is that the news about the dungeon spreads to the capital, adventurers flock in, and Ruin joins then. Why is he here now?
He didn’t come here to hike.
Unable to resist my curiosity, I asked Ruin why he came here.
“Hey… Algae Mage?”
“…It’s Ruin.”
“Ah, I see. Algae Knight.”
“Not a Knight, a Wizard. And it’s Ruin.”
Ruin clenched his fist tightly.
It seemed he disliked me, both in the past and now.
Even though I remembered his name properly and used honorifics, why did he always get angry whenever he saw me? Ruin’s psyche, hard to understand, was filthier than the temperament of a maiden on the Day of Magic.
What did I ever do wrong?
While he acted as if he’d give his liver and gallbladder to Yuria, he always had a seizure only with me, which was deeply upsetting.
We weren’t particularly close at the Academy, but we were at least on greeting terms when passing by.
-Hello, Second Place~
-Are you mocking me?
-Not at all? I was just boasting that our Young Lady is the Top Ranker.
-Son of a B*.
-Woof.
We used to greet each other cheerfully in the corridor, congratulate each other on happy occasions, and tease each other with a bright smile. Seeing only an angry Ruin now made me feel regretful.
Good memories, really.
-Hey… Mr. Ruin, I heard you burned the Young Lady’s dress during the last duel? It was a bit expensive. Are you going to be okay? If it’s hard, I can….
-I can pay for it. Do you think I can’t afford to replace a single dress?
-It’s 300,000 gold, though.
-What…?
-The Young Lady told me not to make you pay, but should I send the bill to the Magic Tower then?
-Wait a minute..!
I faintly remembered the times I comforted Ruin, who collapsed in the training grounds after losing to Mikhail every single day.
-Young Lady, there’s moss stuck on the ground.
-Oh…! It’s huge!
-Son of a B*, stop mocking me!
-It even talks.
-Heeeek…!
While I was happy to see him, why was he acting like this?
Ruin clicked his tongue while looking at me.
Although it wasn’t even mine, he clenched and unclenched his fist in an agitated manner. He looked like a dog in heat.
[Ruin Lv. 35]
[Job: Academy Student]
[Favorability: -77]
[Favorite conversation topics: Yuria/Magic recognition/Dating]
[Disliked conversation topics: Inferiority Complex about Magic/White Hair/Red Hair/Losing to a junior]
He wasn’t even the household’s Nemesis, so why was his Favorability so low?
It hurt my heart.
Still, he was a friend.
So, I extended my hand to Ruin for a handshake, expressing my delight.
“Anyway, it’s nice to see you, Ruin.”
“Nice to see me?”
Ruin scoffed.
Was something about me funny?
Or was this situation amusing to him?
Either way, it was clear that his laughter didn’t stem from a positive feeling.
Ruin peeked behind him. He seemed to be looking for something. After glancing around a little longer, he spoke to me in a sarcastic tone.
“Hey. Where’s Olivia?”
“She’s at home.”
“Home?”
Hearing that the Young Lady wasn’t here, the Village Chief of Green Algae Village grew more confident.
When I met him at Friends of Forest, he was like a puppy drenched in rain. Now, Ruin resembled a bulldog standing before a Chihuahua.
Ruin walked briskly.
He came closer to me.
He shouldn’t come too close.
I was afraid I might reflexively slam Ruin’s head into the ground.
I took a step back to maintain a safe distance.
‘Don’t come closer. You’ll faint again.’
If I were to make him faint, it would be better to hear Ruin’s last words first. If there were other students besides Ruin, I would have to make them faint too.
Ruin spoke to me.
“Ricardo, I’m not happy to see you.”
“Is that so? What can I do? I’m really glad to see you, Mr. Ruin.”
“Really?”
Spit. Ruin spat next to my shoe.
Next to my worn-out leather shoes, Ruin’s white spit barely grazed the edge.
“Hah. What’s with these shoes?”
Chuckling as he looked at my shoes, Ruin.
It was unpleasant, like watching a dog marking its territory.
“Even a Goblin wouldn’t wear something like that.”
“Is that so? Then I guess I’ll have to take Goblin shoes.”
Ruin’s provocation didn’t work.
Honestly, it would be strange to fall for such a simple provocation. If I did fall for it…
Then I wouldn’t be a Possessor.
I’d just have anger management issues.
Humans ought to endure and show patience. Someone who recklessly responds to minor provocations isn’t mature.
No matter the provocation, thinking ‘It happens,’ enduring it, and quietly doing what needs to be done is what makes a true victor and a magnanimous person.
I looked around.
It was silent.
No one was there.
‘This place is too dangerous.’
This area, with Elite Orcs napping nearby and challenging Elite Goblins around, was not a place where burying a single person would seem odd.
Truly, what a reckless friend. Does he even realize how dangerous it is to come to such a gloomy place alone?
As I mentally chose Ruin’s burial site, I pondered.
If the person here wasn’t me but Pascal, Ruin might have ended up as a masterpiece instead of a person.
I voiced my concern.
“Mr. Ruin.”
“Speak casually. You did so at the Academy. Why are you acting like this now?”
“It’s just… It became a habit.”
I was genuinely worried about Ruin.
To the point where I felt like sharing the Wisdom of Life with him.
If he’s coming to such a dangerous place, he should at least have someone reliable by his side.
That way, even if he meets an Untimely Death, someone could deliver the news.
I slowly approached Ruin.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed like there was something on Ruin’s left cheek. It said, ‘Unlikable.’
It was a stain that wouldn’t easily come off, so I decided to clean it for him.
“Ah… Come to think of it, Mr. Ruin.”
“What.”
“What brings you here? You’re someone who should be at the Academy.”
“Ah… Because of an assignment.”
“An assignment?”
Ruin nodded.
And he didn’t forget to hurl Bad Words at me, saying, ‘Why would someone expelled be curious about that?’ I couldn’t help but wonder how this friend would survive after graduating from the Academy.
After getting dumped by the Heroine, he’d probably end up living like a wreck.
I was worried about Ruin’s Future after the novel ended.
Ruin is the kind of character who crushes Frustrating Situations with Refreshing Turns of Events.
When the Heroine was being bullied by the Villainesses, the other Male Protagonists just stepped back, thinking, ‘Yuria can handle it herself!’ or ‘I can’t get involved in Yuria’s personal problems. I might intervene if it were a physical matter….’
But when it came to anything related to the Heroine, Ruin, his eyes gleaming, would appear like a Prince on a White Horse. He even had a word or two for the Villainesses.
Even if you didn’t like him, he was a character you couldn’t help but feel attached to.
His looks didn’t suit my taste, so I didn’t particularly like him, but other Readers loved his rude attitude and made him their Favorite Character.
Ruin is consistent.
He speaks informally to people he’s meeting for the first time.
He spits out informal words even at those he dislikes.
And he speaks informally to those he likes as well.
He even shows the same consistency by calling the Master of the Magic Tower ‘Old Man’ and speaking informally to him. Honestly, I hoped he’d meet his match someday and get put in his place.
Ruin spoke to me.
“Ah, come to think of it, you asked Miss Hanna for an Expulsion Reversal? When she mentioned that out of the blue, I really thought she was a Crazy Woman.”
“It’s not expulsion, it’s a leav—”
“For you two, Expulsion or Leave of Absence is the same thing. Aren’t you embarrassed to ask a junior for help?”
Is he suffering from a Disease That Kills Upon Lying? Ruin, who seems like he’s bidding Goodbye to the world.
I took a step closer to Ruin.
Ruin flinched, his shoulders trembling.
Why is he so scared? I wasn’t going to do anything.
I smiled awkwardly.
“I just asked for help because I wanted to return to the Academy. Haha.”
“Bullsh*t.”
“So, how’s school life treating you, Mr. Ruin?”
“It’s great without you two.”
“Tsk, is that so? That can’t be true.”
The Imperial Academy is special.
If you graduate, you can land a job in one of the Empire’s prestigious companies or households, or even rise above the limits of a Commoner and receive a title.
The educational policies are also specialized to discover prodigies.
Students choose their assignments directly, and the more difficult the assignment, the higher the grades. Conversely, easier assignments yield lower grades.
At the Imperial Academy, higher grades allow you to climb the ranks.
It’s a system designed so passionate students can bear fruit.
But for Ruin, who doesn’t care about grades at all, coming all the way to this remote place for an assignment seemed to suggest he had another motive.
That’s why I didn’t fall for his Provocation.
I asked Ruin.
“Ah. Could it be because Miss Hanna stepped on you or something?”
“Shut your mouth.”
Ruin flinched, reacting violently. It seemed the thoughtless stone I threw hit Ruin’s mental state.
I spoke as if to explain myself.
To make Ruin’s wounded heart ache just a little more. And with a hint of hope that the wound might deepen further.
“No, it’s just that it doesn’t make sense for a genius like Mr. Ruin to come all the way to Hamel, far from the capital. Unless you got eliminated early in the recent Ranking Tournament….”
“I told you to shut up.”
I prodded Ruin’s sore spot even more.
Ruin glared at me.
As if his thoroughly shattered mental state wasn’t recovering, Ruin made eye contact with me in silence.
Not knowing what else to say, I raised my Thumb and spoke.
“A good choice.”
“Shut up!”
A Red Sphere shot out fiercely.
Last time, there were three spheres, but today there were ten flying toward me.
A Ruin who had grown stronger.
At this rate of growth, I thought he might last about ten seconds against Mantis.
I naturally extended my hand to slam Ruin’s head into the ground. My intention was to calm his excited state a bit and propose that we part ways peacefully.
But.
Just as my hand was about to touch Ruin’s head, a familiar Voice stopped me.
“Ruin! What are you doing right now!”
A woman’s Voice echoed from behind me.
A clear, refreshing Voice, like it had absorbed fresh fruit, resonated in my ears.
“I’m sorry─! My friend has a lot of anger issues.”
The Woman Behind immediately apologized upon arrival. Unlike the refined tone of a Noble, she approached me with the friendly tone of a country Girl.
Upon the woman’s appearance, Ruin’s grim expression immediately softened as if it had never been there.
Ruin’s foolishly grinning Smile.
I lowered the hand I had extended.
“Ruin, what are you doing! Apologize!”
“It’s nothing.”
“Don’t lie!”
I thought to myself.
‘This is bad.’
I slowly turned around.
I really didn’t want to meet her like this.
Her smiling figure gradually came into view.
With pink Hair.
Lips like cherries.
And a fresh, radiant beauty.
When our eyes met.
She began to hide her bright Smile.
“It’s been a while.”
I awkwardly returned a Smile and spoke.
“Miss Yuria.”
The Protagonist of this novel, Yuria, was standing before me.